


Unexpected Encounters

by mangopeaches



Series: Photography AU [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: AU-First Meeting, Fluff, M/M, background Lardo/Shitty - Freeform, minor anxiety symptoms, photography as a serious hobby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7715053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangopeaches/pseuds/mangopeaches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack never expected to get so invested in photography, but he also figured he had to find something other than hockey to do in the off season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unexpected Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Jack went first in the draft and Bitty still went to Samwell. 
> 
> -set after Jack's first seven years in the NHL-

When he began, it was nothing special, just a class that he took one summer to fill the spot of Hockey after the Falconers win of the Stanley Cup and his recent coming out, but as the summer went on, Jack’s technique improved and he grew to love the methodology and techniques that the hobby required.

So he took more classes, bought more equipment, and increased his talent. 

His photography entered the next stage when a small woman found him in a park taking pictures and walked over to him. “Aren’t you Jack Zimmermann?” she said bluntly.

Jack had looked down at the tiny woman “Uh, yes” was all he had said. 

The girl had nodded and then proceeded by reaching out and angling his camera towards her and looking at the display screen. Jack was surprised by the rude action and was about to ask her to leave when she looked up at him again. 

“These are really good. Do you display your work in any galleries?” 

He was taken aback by the question, “Uh, no. It’s mostly just for me.”

“The name’s Lardo. I own a studio here in Providence and often participate in and host galleries in town. One of my artists for a gallery just dropped out and I’m looking for someone to replace him. Any interest in sharing your work?” 

“Um, I don’t think that I have the skill that you’re looking for. Sorry.” He replied lamely.

She nodded and tore a small corner from a page in her sketchbook and wrote something on it before handing it to him. “Well I think you do. If you change your mind, give me a call. The gallery is in three weeks, I’ll give you one to decide.” Jack watched her as she simply walked away. 

That ended up being the beginning of a long and close friendship with the woman named Lardo and her eccentric lawyer boyfriend named Shitty, who even after knowing him for four years, had never heard the story of how the name came to be. 

\------

It was unexpected: to be walking around the lake and see something so simple that took his breath away. He had been around this lake thousands of times and had never seen anything like this before, but as the goose he was taking a picture of ran off, Jack sighed and looked up to see a small blonde man sitting on his favorite bench. 

It wasn’t that someone was sitting there, it was a popular park. What stopped his breathing was the way the light shone on the man’s hair, giving it a gentle glow. The checkered blue shirt that he wore enhanced by light and accentuated the lightness of his features, the leaves on the tree creating patches of shadow over his figure. 

Before Jack knew what he was doing, the shutter of his camera went off, loud in the quiet, but drowned out compared to the blood that pumped in his ears. 

Jack couldn’t believe himself, taking a picture of a faceless man that somehow infatuated him just because the light on his features made his skin look soft, warm, and welcoming. And yet, his feet felt as if they were glued to the ground, and he couldn’t look away. 

His heart sped up as he thought about what could happen if he went over there, showed the man the picture. Would he recognize Jack or would he just think Jack was some crazy stalker who liked to take random pictures in the park? 

The man began to shift on the bench and moved to turn his head and Jack panicked, turning around immediately and speed walking away from the scene of the crime, not wanting to be admonished by the beautiful stranger. 

He thinks about the man in the picture all the way back to the studio and wonders just what his laugh sounds like. Whether or not he would place a hand on Jack's arm flirtatiously as the laugh was brought out by a joke. Mostly, he wonders if the plump lips from the man's profile are as soft as they look. 

When he finally arrives at the studio, Shitty is sitting at Lardo’s desk, typing something on her laptop. “Hey Brah, how was the lake?”

Jack shrugs in response “It was nice, I got some good shots.” Shitty nods at him but narrows his eyes slightly. 

Jack has never been one to talk much about his art, other than the techniques it requires, preferring to let it speak for him. So him not commenting in detail about his trip is nothing out of the ordinary, but Jack had all but run to the studio from the lake and is slightly out of breath. 

“Dude, are you okay?” Shitty asks.

Jack nods but a small frown sits on his face and Shitty’s own expression softens, “Panic attack?”

“Not quite.” Shitty nods again at that, and says nothing for a moment, understanding that pressing the issue would have a counter effect and Jack would mention the reason on his own when he was ready, a characteristic of Shitty’s that Jack was always eternally grateful for. 

“So Lards and I are going to look at the Show hall tonight with Chowder to map out the pieces. You wanna join?”

“Uh, sure. I just want to develop what I took today; there might be a piece that I’ll add to my line up.” 

Shitty smiles softly and throws an arm around his shoulder, “Sounds good Bro.”

\------

Later that night finds Shitty and Lardo staring silently at the enlarged photograph. 

Jack looks to them nervously “Well, this is my last piece for the show.”

Lardo looks at him carefully, watching his expression, “You sure about this Jack?”

He pauses and hesitates “Yes?” he answers meekly, almost as if it’s a question itself. Lardo opens her mouth to speak again but Jack nods “Yes.” And it’s more definite.

Shitty chimes in next to her “It’s just you’ve never submitted anything like this before and we just want to make sure that this is what you truly want.” He explains.

Jack’s expression is serious “I never truly let my art express myself, and I want this one to.”

They both nod slightly and turn back to the picture. Lardo smiles softly at Jack, “I think this is your best work so far, Zimmermann.” 

Jack smiles and lets out a relieved breath, “This is my favorite too.” He runs a hand through his hair and nods “I guess we should go take this down to the gallery, eh?”

Packing the picture carefully, Shitty and Jack load the picture into the back of his truck and he and Lardo stand back for just a moment. “Bits is coming to this right?” Shitty asks in a whisper.

Lardo nods “Yeah.”

Shitty smiles down at her and wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close to her and placing a soft kiss to the top of her head before climbing into the truck. 

\--------

Bitty lets out a soft huff as Lardo instructs Shitty to guide him through the gallery in a certain route but goes along anyhow. There were four artists being featured tonight, a painter (Lardo), two sculptors, and a photographer. The exhibit was set up so that one piece from each artist was situated in a circle and had multiple of these set ups around the hall. 

Shitty was explaining to him when they reached the first one that each circle had a theme based on an emotion and that the patrons play a game by figuring out which circle is which emotion. Some of them were fairly obvious, love, heartbreak, anger, happiness, among others. Eric wrote down all his guesses with each circle. However he was stumped when Shitty brought him to the last circle. Obviously because of the game, it wasn’t labeled, however all of the pieces were incredibly abstract and Bitty couldn’t get a grasp on the emotion being portrayed. 

He walks around the circle, stopping at each piece to consider the message. Reaching the photographer’s piece, his breath catches in his throat and he looks to Shitty who nods. He takes a step closer to the enlarged picture, the one of him sitting on the park bench from a week ago.

He knew it was himself, even though he has never seen himself in this light, literally and figuratively. The large tree hung over his head, his back framed by his checkered shirt, his signature cowlick sticking up from the back of his head. Bitty brings his hand to the back of his head, touching it self-consciously. The lighting makes him look younger, softening the profile his features, but mature at the same time, highlighting the soft pull of his shirt against the muscles in his shoulders. 

Behind him he hears the muffled conversations of patrons which he ignores in favor of staring at the photo, even though he knows people are making the connection. That is, until he hears a deep voice with a soft accent, explaining the process of enlarging a photo without losing any of the original quality, suddenly stop short. 

Eric turns around, slowly, to see a tall brunette man, soft pale skin, in a dark suit and a light blue tie staring at him in shock, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Bitty has seen him before on television during after game press and is not ashamed to admit that he’s often stared at those light blue eyes through his computer screen when the Falconers release photographs. 

Shitty moves to the group following Jack and asks them to give them a moment, to which they comply, if a little put off.

Lardo moves over to Jack, taking his arm lightly and ushering him forward a couple of steps. 

“Jack,” she begins softly, an encouraging smile on her features, “This is Eric Bittle.” She looks to Bitty who is staring again at those blue eyes, but this time in person. “Eric this is Jack Zimmermann.” 

Bitty is blushing slightly and Jack is still frozen when Shitty comes up behind him and claps him on the back before he and Lardo move away. 

“You’re the one who took the picture?” Bitty asks, his voice quiet in the loud room. 

Jack shifts nervously on his feet and shoves his hands in his pockets, looking down shyly and nods. 

The smile Bitty gives him is soft and Jack feels less like the ground beneath him will break. He blushes and lets out an “I’m sorry” just as Bitty says “It’s beautiful.”

Jack’s brows furrow “What?”

“I said it’s beautiful, Jack.” He moves to stand next to Jack so he can look at the picture again. “There’s just one thing that I can’t figure out.” he looks up at Jack who is still staring down at the beautiful man, “Which emotion is this?”

Jack, taken aback by the question, by this man, who is more handsome and sweet than even his imagination had supplied, blushes slightly and whispers “Desire.”

Bitty melts inside at the answer and moves so that their shoulders are touching and turns towards the picture again. Jack relaxes, Bitty’s warmth seeping through the fabric on their arms, his racing heart transitioning to a soft flutter rather than the anxious beating just moments ago. 

The man turns to him once more, and with a bright smile on his features, says: “I think we can work something out.” 

“Are you hungry?” he asks quietly.

A soft chuckle bubbles over Bitty’s smile and he nods “Lord, yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> This work is not Beta'd and if you see any errors feel free to let me know.   
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
